Simon’s ielts writing task 2

Comments (29)
 
FROM SIMON:
You all seem to have the right idea: 
1. The question is asking for your OPINION. You could give a strong answer (i.e. argue that the 
development is EITHER positive OR negative), or you could give a balanced opinion answer (i.e. you 
believe that there are both positive and negative aspects of the development). 
2. This is also asking for your opinion. However, the implication is that there are both advantages and 
disadvantages. So, I would answer this by mentioning both, and by clearly stating which side 
OUTWEIGHS the other. In other words, this is like a "DISCUSSION + OPINION" question. 
Finally, well done Rio for finding a previous lesson that I wrote about this: 
http://ielts-simon.com/ielts-help-and-english-pr/2013/05/ielts-writing-task-2-when-to-give-your-
opinion.html
Posted by: Simon | 
Thursday, January 12, 2017 at 13:36
 
 
Wednesday, January 18, 2017 
IELTS Writing Task 2: convert notes into sentences 
It's a good idea to practise converting basic notes into full sentences. For example, the notes below 
come from an essay plan for the question about banning mobile phones (which you can see 
here
). 
1. cigarettes - toxic fumes, passive smoking, health issues 
2. mobile phones - loud conversations - annoying, not dangerous 
3. instead of banning, encourage polite behaviour 
4. e.g. turning phones off in cinema - respect 

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Compiled by Diyorbek Hayitmurodov ielts-simon.com Page 169 
Let's convert the above notes into full sentences:
1. Cigarettes produce toxic fumes which are inhaled by others; this is known as passive smoking, and 
can lead to serious health issues. 
2. While loud conversations on mobile phones can be annoying for others, this is not comparable with 
the dangers of inhaling cigarette smoke. 
3. Rather than imposing a ban, it is much more sensible to encourage polite mobile phone behaviour. 
4. In cinemas, for instance, the audience is politely asked to turn phones off during the film, and most 
people respect this request. 
If you can convert notes into sentences, you'll be able to convert an essay plan into a full essay. So 
practise doing this as much as you can!